By Matt Addicks, Ericsson
Although the global population spends 80% of its time indoors, global positioning system (GPS) technology has been primarily designed for outdoor tracking. Having trouble finding your keys or wallet? Try a Bluetooth-enabled tile or tag. Want to ensure your child gets to school safely? There’s an app for that. Yet, when it comes to accurately tracking business-critical assets indoors, effective solutions have been lacking or too complex.
The good news is that as more companies invest in 5G connectivity for visibility into operations — and 5G-enabled tools, tablets, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), wearables and other devices — the need for indoor asset tracking will continue to grow. With the right private 5G solution, network administrators and operational technology managers can conduct effective asset tracking with accuracy as close as 1 meter while guaranteeing their devices and people are connected to a dedicated and secure private 5G network.
Precise indoor positioning is a private 5G feature used for asset tracking that can directly impact visibility into operations, asset protection, and safety. Fortunately, enterprises of all kinds can utilize this feature as part of a comprehensive end-to-end solution. Let’s explore a couple of use cases where private 5G with precise indoor positioning for asset tracking is vital to daily operations.
Use Case 1: Smart Manufacturing
In smart manufacturing, there are a few circumstances in which precise indoor positioning enhances asset tracking. In today’s Industry 4.0 landscape, many manufacturing tools are now digitally enhanced, automated, and connected to a host of devices. Any device loss can lead to a delay in manufacturing, which can have negative effects on production deadlines. With precise indoor positioning, manufacturing leads will always have the location of both tools and staff — which can be important for production and safety reasons. Automated guided vehicles, AGVs, are also becoming a mainstay of manufacturing workflows. Indoor positioning helps teams ensure AGVs arrive at their desired location, on time, facilitating no delays in production.
Use Case 2: Warehousing and Logistics
Effective asset tracking also allows enterprises to underscore the benefits of smart manufacturing through connection-dependent devices like scanners. With precise indoor positioning, enterprises can leverage real-time tracking so operations and IT managers can always see the location of a certain piece of equipment. Organizations can also use geofencing to enable alerts when a certain device ventures into an unauthorized location within or outside of the facility. Indoor position can also translate to cost savings and cost optimization for enterprises as they help prevent the loss of handheld devices and tools. Replacing these tools can become extremely expensive for enterprises, especially if the facility uses hundreds to thousands of these devices.
Use Case 3: Healthcare
Unlike smart manufacturing plants, hospitals today are less automated and experience more ad hoc equipment movements. Nurses, doctors, and other medical staff can’t afford to waste time searching for equipment, because delays can disrupt operations and impact patient care. While widespread precise positioning use cases are still on the horizon, there will be real value for healthcare facilities and their staff once these asset tracking use cases become a reality. Medical staff will know the exact locations of machines. Further, healthcare facilities that combine positioning with the right AI software create the most efficient route for patient transfers, ensuring they get the fastest treatment possible.
The partnership between private 5G and indoor precise positioning
Private 5G enables asset tracking via precise indoor positioning, removing some complexities often associated with legacy asset tracking frameworks that leverage Wi-Fi or real-time location systems (RTLS). While many organizations rely on RTLS — which use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth beacons — as their positioning technology, there are drawbacks to this approach. For example, while additional Bluetooth beacons and Wi-Fi access points can enhance asset tracking accuracy, asset tracking expenses can grow given the size of the manufacturing plant, warehouse, or healthcare facility. This can be costly for organizations, as the need for more infrastructure drives up installation and maintenance.
The infrastructure needed to leverage precise indoor positioning for asset tracking through private 5G is less complex. It triangulates an asset’s location through the radio access network (RAN), leveraging the same private 5G network that organizations already use for business-critical applications and devices. Indoors, private 5G radios can cover an area three to five times larger than Wi-Fi access points. In addition, a comprehensive private 5G solution doesn’t require beacons attached to each device or vehicle to track its location. Instead, the solution can work with any 5G-enabled device, tracking its movements through the device’s chipset. This ultimately helps maximize ROI, reduce maintenance downtime, and provide a more reliable connection.
Enterprises are using an unprecedented amount of mobile devices and automated vehicles that are key to operations. Therefore, they face an unprecedented need to accurately track these critical assets. Private 5G and indoor precise positioning provide the constant connectivity and resilience that manufacturers, logistics companies, healthcare organizations, and other enterprises worldwide can count on.
